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FINWIRES

Hormuz Shipping Slumps as Tanker Attacks, US Strikes Raise Risks

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Commercial vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz plunged by half on Monday as renewed tanker attacks and heightened US-Iran tensions continued to deter shipping through the strategic waterway.

The latest data from Kpler and MarineTraffic show that five vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Aug. 31, down from 10 a day earlier.

"Four vessels entered the Middle East Gulf and one exited, using a mix of Iranian, Omani and negotiated routes," Kpler posted on X.

The transits also included two shadow-fleet vessels and one sanctioned vessel, according to MarineTraffic.

The sharp decline came as maritime security risks remained elevated.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations reported two attacks on Aug. 31, including an incident involving a tanker struck by three unidentified projectiles while completing an outbound transit of the strait off Oman.

Separately, the UKMTO warning said a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting inbound toward the Arabian Gulf on Aug. 29.

The incidents underscore the continuing threat to commercial shipping despite efforts to reopen the waterway.

Commercial traffic remains far below normal levels. Kpler reported that crossings had fallen after renewed conflict, with traffic shifting heavily toward routes that are not fully recognised by international authorities.

US military operations have added another layer of uncertainty for shipping in the region.

US forces began strikes on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets in Iran near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, following what Washington said were attempted IRGC attacks on commercial shipping in the Hormuz.

"Today at 12 p.m. ET, U.S. forces began striking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran. The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members deployed to the region," US Central Command posted on X.

US Centcom posted on X that it had redirected 84 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two as of Sept. 1.

The International Maritime Organization's daily Strait of Hormuz incident tracker showed that the total number of confirmed maritime security incidents in the region was 71 as of Sep. 1.

The IMO tracker provides a daily log of verified strikes on ships attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began, with the earliest incident recorded on March 1.

Meanwhile, traffic via the Bab el-Mandeb was comparatively more stable.

Kpler data showed 35 confirmed crossings on Aug. 31, up 2.9% from the previous day. Of the total, 19 vessels entered the Red Sea and 16 exited, MarineTraffic said, noting that no dark transits were recorded.

UKMTO reporting showed no confirmed attack or disruption in the southern Red Sea or Bab el-Mandeb.

Commercial traffic there nevertheless remained well below normal levels, consistent with the reduced activity seen since the Houthi declaration on July 20, the UKMTO said.

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